My Hugo award votes 2026, Part 2: Short Stories

The short story category was pretty good, better than in years. There were fewer very experimental or allegorical stories and more stories that actually told a real story, but often still had room for allegories and sly references to real things and problems. When putting the stories in order, I started from the last place as it was the easiest one to determine, just like second to the last. After that, the choices were very difficult as all stories were pretty good.  

 

"Six People to Revise You” by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)

There is a new technology to “revise” a person. The protagonist wants that procedure - they are apparently trans. To be eligible, they must receive testimony from six people on what three things should be changed.  The changes aren’t exactly what they were expecting. Short, and not bad, story. A bit too scene-like; no proper start and the ending was a bit vague. 

 “In My Country” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, Issue 223)

 A country which is free, because everyone is told so. But there are some limitations: art forms open to interpretation are not allowed, as they might provoke discontent. The son of the protagonist grows to be an author and writes stories that might offer interpretations critical of the current system that aren’t open, and the stories become popular. He is honored to be sent to “far fields,” where he will have the opportunity to create even better works. No one ever returns from there, supposedly because life there is so perfect. And usually there are few new creations by people living there. A very well-written and moving story written in fine poetic language. Not far from what the world is going towards. 

 “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days” by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 63)

 Very short visions of different futures - all with catastrophes- that range from eldritch horrors or demon attacks to giant snowstorms to civil war to volcanic eruptions. But there is usually something to be learned or something that ties the protagonists together, and they are glad to be together. A nice story about love and comradeship. Somehow lacking, though. There was little actual plot. We don’t really learn much about the characters.

 “Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything” by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots, May 16, 2025)

A man has become a superhero after an alien spaceship part hit him. He can shoot lasers from his eyes. He is wheelchair-bound, though. He joins the local chapter of superheroes, but their building is not wheelchair accessible. And no one of the superheroes is really interested in doing something about the matter. And no one of the super-abled is interested in real, important issues, like getting roads safer by building more roundabouts. But if you can’t be a superhero, there are other openings, like being a super villain. A fun, amusing lighthearted story.

 “Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, Issue 226)

A woman has a younger clone. When she hears that her ex is engaged to that clone, she gets conflicted feelings. The clone sisters decide to meet and discuss. After that discussion, the younger version’s feelings for the man start to slowly cool. A well-written bittersweet story about relations between humans and about how they develop.

 “Wire Mother” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, Issue 229)

 Cassie’s mother is a computer simulation. Cassie suffers from ECD, a neurodivergent condition that prevents her from forming emotional bonds with simulated persons. That has led to some friction in family life, and she isn’t even salivating like other girls to create an electronic person as boyfriend when she turns 18. She dreams about old things and watches old movies with physical actors. She is starting to hate the never-aging simulacrum which claims to be her mother. But what if she finds a code that can permanently delete digital persons? Another good and well-written story with some irony of neurodivergence.

My voting order will be:

1. “In My Country” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, Issue 223)

2. “Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything” by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots, May 16, 2025)

3. “Wire Mother” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, Issue 229)

4. “Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, Issue 226)

5. “Six People to Revise You” by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)

6. “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days” by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 63)

 

 

Carin Hjulström: Pikku murha vain (Säbyholms gröna fingrar #1)

 Ensimmäinen osa ruotsalaista dekkarisarjaa. PItkän uran tehnyt tunnettu näyttelijä on irtisanoutunut työstään ja muuttaa veljenpoikansa kanssa puolittain vahingossa hankkimaansa kasvihuonetarhaan. Näyttelijä on ollut pitkässä suhteessa kuuluisan teatteriohjaajan kanssa, mutta tämä on vaihtanut nuorempaan naiseen, joka on vieläpä raskaana. Tämä vaikuttaa raskaasti hänen mielialaansa. Veljenpoika on jossain määrin hulttio ja on ollut jopa lyhyesti vankilassa ja hänen vanha tuttavapiirinsä on samaa tasoa. Hän on kuitenkin vakaasti päättänyt aloittaa rehellisen elämän. Yhdessä he suunnittelevat taimitarhan herättämistä henkiin ja saavat jopa suuren tilauksen. Taimitarhan lähellä on kartano, joka on lisäämässä metsästysturismia ja jolle on tulossa delegaatio kiinalaisia matkatoimistojen päälliköitä. Kartanon omistaja pariskunnalla on kovia paineita asioiden menemisestä täydellisesti. Kun paikallinen riistanvalvoja löytyy kuolleena epäilyttävissä olosuhteissa, on aluksi epäselvää, kuka edes häntä olisi halunnut kuolleeksi - pinnallisesti hän oli hyvä pataa useimpien kanssa, vaikka ei varsinaisen rakastettu henkilö ollutkaan. Paikallispoliisi alkaa selvittää tätä kuolemaa, kun varsinaiset murhatutkijat ovat liian kiireisiä tärkeämpien rikoksien parissa. 

Hyvin, hyvin, rauhalliseen tahtiin etenevä kirja. Paljon enemmän aikaa kuluu taimitarhan tavanomaiseen elämään kuin varsinaiseen dekkarijuoneen. Osittain varsinkin henkilöiden välisissä suhteissa tässä kirjassa vasta aseteltiin palasia kohdalleen - sekä tädille että veljenpojalle pedattiin ilmiselvää uutta ihmissuhdetta seuraaviin osiin kehiteltäväksi. Murhapuoli ei ollut turhan realistista eikä ihan kaikin puolin loogista – joitain asioita jätettiin vähän liikaa epäselviksi. Kielellisesti kirja oli kohtalaista tasoa, ja oli ihan ok kuunneltavaa autossa, vaikka hitaammissa kohdissa hiukan ajatus pyrki harhautumaan. 

The book progresses at a very, very leisurely pace. Far more time is spent on the everyday life of the plant nursery than on the actual mystery plot. In some respects—especially regarding the relationships between the characters—the novel is largely about putting the pieces in place, clearly setting up new romantic relationships for both the aunt and her nephew to be developed in future installments.

The murder mystery itself wasn't particularly realistic or entirely logical, with a few points left a little too vague. The writing was decent enough, and it made for an enjoyable audiobook to listen to in the car, although during the slower sections my mind occasionally began to wander.

400 pp

Emily Tesh: The Incandescent

 

The next Hugo nominee. Dr. Walden is the director of magic in a boarding school whose curriculum emphasizes magical arts. It is a pretty expensive place to study, but there are many students with scholarships there, because a young person with powerful gifts for magical abilities may be - and is - very dangerous for themselves and others who are untrained. As the concentration of magical skills in a small area is very appealing to demonic powers, the school has many wards and mechanisms to prevent demons from entering it and possessing students. The world has a demonic level which can be accessed by skillful individuals, and it is especially strong in the school area. There are also guards, demonfighters, marshals, patrolling the premises. The book is set in the modern day; there are mobile phones, cars, and game systems. And intricate electronics attract demons for some reason. Dr Walden is passionate about the school, its safety, and her students, and the students give her high esteem. 

There is a severe intrusion caused by students who thought they could control a demon but instead encountered a much more powerful one than they bargained for. Dr Walden manages to save the situation. (She herself started a similar situation when she was a student at the school, and that time things didn’t go as well). Dr Walden has a secret - a demon that has been captured in a tattoo on her hand, which she can use in a tight situation. The chief marshal raises serious concerns when she learns about the tattoo and the demon which is contained in it. She is, however, moved out of the school in the investigation following the intrusion - just after Dr Walden connects with her and they were planning a romantic date together. Afterward, the chief marshal is fired because someone had to be blamed for the incident. But a contractor, mysterious and arrogant but handsome Mark Daubrey, starts overseeing the safety of the school. And the demonic activity seems to be increasing…

A pretty nice book, but it was not without problems. It was pretty episodic, and pacing felt a bit uneven - almost like it would have been an old-school fixup novel consisting of several shorter works. The writing wasn’t quite as good as in some of the other nominees, and the romance parts felt somewhat cringe for some reason. The book was told in the third person, but the viewpoint was always Dr. Walden’s. And it felt a bit strange that Dr. Walden, the main and viewpoint character, was the only one almost always referred to by last name; for others, the first name was often used. Dr Walden herself was an interesting character, at the same time arrogant, so sure, too sure of herself, and lonely and somehow repressed at the same time. 

I was also expecting to learn more about the demons. They live at some kind of other level of existence, love to eat humans, especially ones with magical abilities; they aren’t “demons” in the religious sense (even though they can possess you and need exorcism to be driven out) but rather malevolent creatures which can be harnessed for menial tasks when they are young and weak. I wonder if that is the reason they are so angry? That aspect wasn’t explored at all. 

416 pp. 

Anthony Horowitz: Harakkamurhat (Magpie Murders, Susan Ryeland #1)

Pienen kustantamon kustannustoimittaja on saanut kustantamon tähtikirjailijan uusimman kirjan käsikirjoituksen. Kirja on viimeisin osa Christie-tyyppistä sarjaa, jossa hienostunut herrasmies ratkaisee hieman yksinkertaisen avustajansa kanssa murhia usein kartanomiljöössä. Kirja on sarjassaan tavanomaista: kartanossa aluksi on kuollut talon ylläpitäjä/siivooja ilmeisen tapaturmaisesti, ja myöhemmin kartanoherra itse kuolee. Tällä kertaa tapaturmasta ei herää epäilyjä, sillä miehen kaula on katkaistu. Salapoliisi selvittää kuolemia parhaaseen Poirot-tyyliin haastattelemalla kaikki asiaan liittyvät henkilöt, kunnes ilmoittaa lopulta selvittäneensä murhaajan, jonka jälkeen käsikirjoitus loppuu - kirjan viimeinen luku puuttuu. Kustannustoimittaja on hämmästynyt: minne osa käsikirjoituksesta on kadonnut? Hän soittaa pomolleen, kustantamon johtajalle, jolla on uutisia. Kirjailija on lähettänyt itsemurhaviestin ja löytynyt kuolleena komeasta, mutta kolkosta kartanostaan, jonka oli kirjojensa tuotoilla ostanut.

Puuttuvaa lukua ei löydy miehen tietokoneesta tai papereista, eikä kukaan häntä tuntenut tiedä asiasta mitään. Kaikki ovat kyllä yhtä mieltä yhdestä asiasta: mies oli ollut erittäin epämiellyttävä, eikä kukaan jäänyt häntä kaipaamaan. Oliko kyseessä tosiaan itsemurha? Ja mihin ihmeeseen on joutunut kirjan viimeinen luku? Nyt on edessä tosielämän murhamysteeri: tappoiko joku kirjailijan ja miksi - vaikka kukaan hänestä ei pitänyt, ei oikein kenelläkään tunnu olevan murhaan riittävää motiivia. Ja minne ja miksi se puuttuva luku katosi?

Kirjassa saa kaksi erilaista ja erityyppistä dekkaria yhdellä kertaa. Molemmat ovat sujuvia, hyvin kirjoitettuja ja kiinnostavia, tarjoten hyviä henkilöhahmoja sekä mielenkiintoisen juonen että täpärän lopun. Ainakin siinä ”tosielämän” tarinassa, kirjassa kirjan sisällä, lopetus oli perinteisempi Agatha Christie -tyyppinen, jossa ei ollut nykytyylisiä uhkatilanteita. Sen verran vetävä kirja oli kyseessä, että jatko-osakin pitänee jossain vaiheessa lukea. Tosin asiat muuttuivat niin reippaasti, että on vaikea tietää, miten tämä kirja voisi jatkua järkevästi. 

The book offers two different kinds of detective stories in one. Both are engaging, well written, and compelling, with strong characters, an intriguing plot, and a suspenseful ending. At least in the 'real-life' story—the novel within the novel—the ending was more of a traditional Agatha Christie-style resolution, without the modern convention of putting the characters in life-threatening situations. The book was gripping enough that I'll probably read the sequel at some point. That said, so much changed by the end that it's hard to see how the story could continue in a convincing way.

541 pp